Next-Gen Volkswagen Golf GTI Rumored to Make up to 300 HP

The current Volkswagen Golf GTI may have been on sale for a while, but it’s still one of the most well-rounded hot hatches on the market. Sure, it only has 228 hp, but if you really find yourself in need of more power, you can always spring for the 288-hp Golf R. Either that, or you can wait for the next-gen GTI, which may come with even more power than the Golf R has today.

According to Germany’s Autobild, the Mark VIII Golf GTI will have a performance option that boosts power to about 300 hp. The base GTI, meanwhile, will reportedly pack about 245 hp. Autobild‘s sourcing is nonexistent, so there’s no way to tell how much truth there is to this report. But at the very least, it’s an interesting rumor.

There’s also no denying that the hot hatch market has changed a lot in the last couple of years. Not only has Honda begun selling the 305-hp Civic Type R in the U.S., Hyundai recently introduced the value-priced Veloster N, which makes 275 hp with the performance package. And don’t forget about the 268-hp Subaru WRX. All of these cars come in at different price points and with different amounts of standard equipment, but it would definitely make sense for Volkswagen to offer the next-gen GTI with quite a bit more power.

Whether it does or not, we shouldn’t have to wait long to find out since we expect the Mark VIII Golf to be revealed later this year.